Foreign and Commonwealth Office

UK Membership of EU

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they reconcile printing and delivering their pamphlet Why the Government believes that voting to remain in the European Union is the best decision for the UK to every household in the UK, with the statement by the Minister of State for Europe, Mr David Lidington, on 7 September 2015 that "we have no intention of legislating to allow the Government to do things such as mailshots, paid advertising or leafleting" (HC Deb, col 89).

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: As the full excerpt below shows, the statement referred to by the Noble Lord relates to conduct and activity during the final 28 days of the referendum period, which are covered by the provisions of section 125 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. The Government will comply fully with these provisions.“Instead, new clause 10 provides a power to make regulations to exempt particular categories of publication from section 125. Any such regulation would need to be approved by an affirmative resolution in both Houses. We have also adopted the recommendation of the Political and Constitutional Affairs Committee that the Government should consult the Electoral Commission before any such regulation is made.While I understand the constructive intention behind the suggestion made by the hon. Member for North Down (Lady Hermon), I think that at the end of the day the Government must be free to go to Parliament and ask whether it accepts or rejects a particular proposal. The safeguard here is that if Government new clause 10 is accepted tonight, both Houses will have the right to veto anything that the Government might bring forward under this new provision.Let me explain the kind of things I have in mind. They include, for example, modernising the press notice exemption, which is already in section 125, to take account of digital media, by making it clear that it is permissible to link to a press notice from a website or a social media site; allowing the publication of a document on government.uk; or clarifying that material passed on to the print or broadcasting media would be acceptable. None of those things is clear at the moment. Let me repeat that we have no intention of legislating to allow the Government to do things such as mailshots, paid advertising or leafleting.”

Islamic State

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Baroness Anelay of St Johns to the private notice question from Lord Alton of Liverpool on 21 April, which members of the United Nations Security Council they believe would veto a referral to the International Criminal Court of evidence of genocide against Christian, Yazidi and other minorities in Iraq and Syria.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor set out some of the complicated issues involved in the ICC investigating Daesh in her press statement of 8 April 2015. It is not possible to refer Daesh itself to the ICC. Any referral would cover ALL potential crimes against international humanitarian law within a specified geographic area, rather than a specified organisation or set of actors.When efforts were made to refer the situation in Syria to the ICC in 2014, it was vetoed by Russia and China. We expect that any Security Council resolution at this time seeking to refer the situations in Iraq or Syria to the ICC would likewise be blocked.

Northern Ireland Office

Belfast Agreement

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Dunlop on 18 April (HL7513), whether parity of esteem only applies to people who live in Northern Ireland or includes people who come from Northern Ireland and live elsewhere in the UK.

Lord Dunlop: In the Belfast Agreement the concept of ‘parity of esteem’ is expressed and defined in relation to people living in Northern Ireland. The Government is committed to treating people fairly and with equal respect wherever they live in the United Kingdom.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Apprentices: Females

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what actions they plan to take to redress the gender balance in engineering, construction and transport apprenticeships.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Inspiration starts at school. Schools are legally required to secure the independent advice and guidance that all young people need when making career choices. Through the Careers and Enterprise Company, Enterprise Advisers work directly with schools to develop effective links with other local businesses to equip young people with the skills they need. We are encouraging more young women to enter science and engineering careers, including apprenticeships. The annual Tomorrow’s Engineers Week (TEWeek) encourages them, to consider a career in engineering. The Your Life campaign inspires young people to study maths and physics as a gateway to STEM careers. The STEM Ambassadors programme is a network of over 28,000 volunteers working with schools across the UK, 40% of whom are women. The construction sector is working with the Construction Leadership Council to highlight the opportunities the sector offers. Women into Construction, an independent not-for-profit organization, provides bespoke support to women wishing to work in the construction industry and assists contractors in recruiting motivated and trained women. We are launching a new communications campaign in May aimed at promoting the benefits of apprenticeships. Our promotional campaigns include role models of successful female apprentices in sectors where they are under-represented.

Economic Partnership Agreements

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effects of any inconsistencies in deadlines for the ratification of concluded and signed EU trade agreements established by the European Commission under the auspices of Economic Partnership Agreements.

Lord Price: I am not aware of inconsistencies in deadlines for the ratification of Economic Partnership Agreements between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific partners. EU Regulation 1528/2007 of 20 December 2007 states that ratification of the agreements should take place “within a reasonable period of time.”

Economic Partnership Agreements

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the normal functioning of parliamentary ratification processes in developing countries of the EU bringing forward the deadlines for ratification of EU Economic Partnership Agreements.

Lord Price: The EU has not brought forward the deadlines for ratification of Economic Partnership Agreements between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) partners. EU Regulation 1528/2007 of 20 December 2007 states that ratification of the agreements should take place “within a reasonable period of time.” I expect the parliamentary ratification processes in developing countries to function as normal in relation to these agreements.

Economic Partnership Agreements

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to discuss with the European Commission the effect of the deadlines placed on the ratification of trade agreements with developing countries where such deadlines could undermine the normal functioning of parliamentary engagement of these ratification processes.

Lord Price: EU Regulation 1528/2007 of 20 December 2007 states that ratification of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific partners should take place “within a reasonable period of time.” UK officials are in regular contact with the European Commission about the EPAs and we do not expect Regulation 1528/2007 to undermine the normal functioning of parliamentary engagement in the ratification processes for these agreements.

Retail Trade

Baroness Burt of Solihull: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total value of the retail sector to the UK economy in each of the last 10 years, and what estimate they have made of its value over the next 10 years.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The amount of Gross Value Added by the retail sector in each of the last ten years and the proportion of total UK GVA is given in the table below:Year Gross Value Added (£m) % of UK Total200671,1375.6%200774,5215.6%200876,8115.6%200976,1175.6%201079,7635.7%201180,3665.6%201284,3405.7%201387,0655.6%201489,8335.6%201591,7385.6%Source: National Accounts Low-Level aggregates (ONS)Her Majesty’s Government has not made forecasts of the future value of the retail sector.

Retail Trade

Baroness Burt of Solihull: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people were employed in the retail sector in each of the last 10 years, and what estimate they have made of the number of people who will be employed in that sector over the next 10 years.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The number of jobs (both employees and self-employed) in the retail sector in each of the last ten years and the proportion of total UK Workforce Jobs is given in the table below:YearWorkforce Jobs (‘000s)% of UK Total20063,18910.0%20073,19410.0%20083,2189.9%20093,1279.8%20103,0769.7%20113,0659.7%20123,0989.6%20133,0849.4%20143,1269.4%20153,15910.0%Source: UK Employees Jobs and Self Employed Jobs (ONS)Her Majesty’s Government has not made forecasts of future job levels in the retail sector.

Retail Trade

Baroness Burt of Solihull: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of (1) the number of jobs, and (2) the total value of sales, within the retail sector attributable to (a) online retail, and (b) high-street retail premises.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: In 2015 the retail sector accounted for nearly 3.2m jobs. It is not possible to allocate these jobs to online or offline retail nor to “high-street” or “non-high street” premises.Excluding sales of automotive fuel the total value of retail sales was £340bn in 2015, with around 12.4% of these sales (£42bn) attributable to online retail.It is not possible to determine what proportion of sales were made by “high-street” premises. There is not an operational statistical definition of this term, so data is not collected on this basis.

British Home Stores: Insolvency

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will establish an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding BHS being placed in administration, and in particular in to the implications for employees, pension scheme members and creditors.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: When a company enters administration, the administrators have to report to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills within three months on the conduct of the directors.In the case of BHS the Insolvency Service is making early contact with the administrators to discuss the directors’ conduct and to consider whether further steps, such as a detailed investigation, may be necessary.Where misconduct is established it can lead to disqualification of a director for between 2 and 15 years.

British Home Stores: Insolvency

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have had any talks with the owners, managers or advisers to BHS; and whether they will take any action to protect employees, creditors and pensioners.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: This is a worrying time for the BHS workforce and their families.I understand that there are no plans for immediate store closures and that the administrators are looking to sell BHS as a going concern.Clearly if this proves not to be possible, then we stand ready to help those affected, including through Jobcentre Plus’ Rapid Response Service, to help people move into new jobs as quickly as possible.The Insolvency Service continues to liaise with the administrators, and stands ready to provide statutory assistance to employees in the event that the commercial situation changes.I understand that the BHS schemes are in the early stages of a Pension Protection Fund (PPF) assessment period, during which the PPF will determine the final funding position of the scheme and whether it should assume responsibility for a scheme. We cannot comment on this, or any other individual case directly.

Department for International Development

Bangladesh: Marriage

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Bangladesh about child marriage, and whether it is their policy that the revised Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929 should retain the minimum age of marriage for women at 18 years age without exceptions.

Baroness Verma: We welcome the commitments made by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the Girl Summit last year and in New York in September to end marriage under the age 15 by 2021 and under 18 by 2041. We expect the age of marriage to be maintained at 18.Alongside other Donor Partners and NGOs we continue to discuss with the Government of Bangladesh our concerns regarding the legislation, including the possibility of an exception clause that might allow marriage below 18 in certain circumstances, with the aim of ensuring that the public commitments at the UK Girl Summit are maintained. Meanwhile, we are working with other parts of HMG and donor partners to press for improved implementation of policies that protect and promote the status of women and girls. Activities to tackle inequality and promote empowerment are embedded across all of our wider programmes.

Bangladesh: Females

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions have taken place with the government of Bangladesh about reforms of religious laws on marriage, divorce and separation and their impact on women's economic situation.

Baroness Verma: At the heart of the UK’s strategy in Bangladesh is the recognition that empowering girls and women is the key to reducing poverty and driving sustainable economic growth. Combined with an improved enabling environment which makes girls and women feel secure at home or at work, this allows women to reach their full potential, resulting in job creation and higher incomes for women, as well as improved access to more efficiently produced goods and services.UK aid funds the Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) which we work in partnership with to promote the rights of women and children in the religious legal system in Bangladesh. For example, since 2009, MJF have advocated for the enactment of the Hindu Marriage Act, which was passed in 2012, and further strengthening of the law which would give the wife rights over her husband’s property and thus impact her economic situation. MJF and its partners are also working at a local level to mobilise communities to make use of the law.

Iraq: Overseas Aid

The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Verma on 1 April (HL7307), when they expect the Department for International Development to complete its assessment of the future support to Iraq through the Bilateral Aid Review process.

Baroness Verma: The final phase of the Bilateral Aid Review is currently underway, and we will be publishing in the early summer.

South Sudan: Refugees

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the UNHCR decision to cease the provision of services to the Yida refugee camp in Unity State, South Sudan, on 30 June, and what steps they will take to ensure that the human rights of registered refugees who currently reside there are protected.

Baroness Verma: The decision to close the Yida refugee camp was taken by the government of South Sudan, therefore we assess that the UNHCR decision to move provision of services as proportionate; and the decision was announced in advance to all refugees. The South Sudanese government, UNHCR and its partners have engaged with refugee leaders over the past 18 to 24 months to manage the closure of Yida and the relocation to new camps at Adjuong Thok and Pamir in the smoothest and most respectful way possible. UNHCR will continue to provide livelihoods support to the Yida community for those who chose to remain. The UK continues to underline that any returns and relocation should remain safe, voluntary and informed, with appropriate service provision to refugees.

Department for International Development: Public Expenditure

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department for International Development overspent their budget in the last financial year, and if so, for what reason.

Baroness Verma: In 2014-15, the most recent year for which audited accounts are available, the Department for International Development did not overspend its budget.

Overseas Aid

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what mechanisms the Department for International Development has in place to monitor the quality and real developmental impact of their aid programmes.

Baroness Verma: DFID has rigorous programme and financial management procedures and systems in place. This government has significantly strengthened these procedures and systems, placing a strong emphasis on ensuring programmes are high quality and deliver value for money and real development impact. Each DFID project is rigorously appraised before approval to establish value for money. During implementation, projects are measured against a robust monitoring framework through mandatory annual reviews to ensure they remain cost effective and are delivering expected outputs, outcomes and development impact. The results of these annual reviews are scored by the managing team and are then monitored through regular management information reports to management and Ministers. We take decisions to exit underperforming programmes and redirect resources into those that deliver poverty reduction and value for money for taxpayers.DFID is also committed to generating high quality evidence through independent evaluations which look in detail at the impact that our interventions are having and what lessons can be learnt for the future. In addition the Independent Commission for Aid Impact assesses the effectiveness of DFID’s programming.

Department for Education

Languages: Assessments

Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in discussions with examination boards about retaining accreditation routes for lesser-taught languages at GCSE and A-level.

Lord Nash: Government action has resulted in GCSEs and A levels in a range of community languages being continued, to ensure young people can carry on studying a diverse range of foreign languages. This follows a Government commitment in 2015 to protect a number of language GCSEs and A levels after the exam boards announced that from 2017 they would be withdrawing several courses. Since then the Government has worked with Ofqual and the exam boards and we have been successful in securing most of the less-taught languages at GCSE and A level for future years. In addition to Chinese, Italian and Russian, the languages now secure are Arabic, Bengali, Biblical Hebrew, Modern Greek, Gujarati, Japanese, Modern Hebrew, Panjabi, Polish, Portuguese, Turkish and Urdu.

Ministry of Justice

Courts: Interpreters

Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many court cases have had to be rescheduled in each of the last five years because of problems with the interpreting or translating services required; and what was the additional cost incurred in each year as a result of such rescheduling.

Lord Faulks: Information on the number of trials listed in the criminal courts which were adjourned (ineffective) due to interpreter availability is published in Criminal Court Statistics; the relevant extract is set out below.   Crown CourtsMagistrates’ CourtsYearNumber of trialsAdjourned due to interpreter availability% of trials adjourned due to interpreter availabilityNumber of trialsAdjourned due to interpreter availability% of trials adjourned due to interpreter availability201141,412170.0%166,8083270.2%201238,432340.1%156,6716080.4%201333,669370.1%155,0875910.4%201435,974260.1%158,9845240.3%201539,036230.1%162,6684740.3% Associated costs for rescheduling such cases are not recorded. The department continues to monitor the language services contract closely and work with the supplier to further drive improvements and reduce the cost on the taxpayer.

Prisons: Islam

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will publish the report by Ian Acheson into the role of Muslim clerics in prisons in England and Wales.

Lord Faulks: My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Justice is currently considering the recommendations of the review of Extremism. As the Secretary of State told the House on 26 April, a summary document will be published in due course. The full report cannot be published due to sensitive security issues.

Prisons: Islam

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government who is responsible for the appointment of prison imams.

Lord Faulks: Prison Governors are responsible for appointing all Chaplains into prison based roles. In order to ensure our current practice is as robust and effective as possible in dealing with extremism in prison, the Justice Secretary commissioned a review, supported by external expertise, of the overall approach to dealing with Islamist extremism in prisons, probation and the youth justice system and is currently considering the recommendations.

Rights of Accused

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the circumstances in which it is appropriate for the court to appoint an intermediary for communication support for a vulnerable defendant.

Lord Faulks: A judge can grant the use of an intermediary to meet the needs of a vulnerable defendant to ensure a fair trial. The Criminal Procedure Rules and Practice Directions require the court to take every reasonable step to facilitate the participation of any person, including the defendant. This includes ensuring that a defendant is able to give their best evidence, and enabling a defendant to comprehend the proceedings and engage fully with their defence. We are currently considering the provision of intermediaries for vulnerable defendants as part of our on-going work around the communication needs of all vulnerable court users.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Flags

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what the correct proportions of the Union Flag are, and where they are laid down.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 28 April 2016.The correct answer should have been:

The correct proportions of the Union Flag on land are 5 : 3. The proportions were established by Garter Principle PrincipalKing of Arms in 1938 as the principle adviser to the Sovereign of the United Kingdom with respect to national symbols, ceremonial and heraldry. The present Garter continues to inform and advise government and the Crown on such matters.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The correct proportions of the Union Flag on land are 5 : 3. The proportions were established by Garter Principle PrincipalKing of Arms in 1938 as the principle adviser to the Sovereign of the United Kingdom with respect to national symbols, ceremonial and heraldry. The present Garter continues to inform and advise government and the Crown on such matters.

Freedom of Expression

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether EU laws on telecommunications and media protect freedom of the press and freedom of expression.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: EU laws on telecommunications (electronic communications services) exclude services that provide, or exercise editorial control over content transmitted using electronic communications networks and services. While printed media (e.g. newspapers) are not within the scope of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive, the Directive does apply to audio visual media, (television broadcasts and other tv-like content). The Government has considered the impact of the Directive on freedom of expression when responding to the European Commission's consultation on the future of that Directive. The Government's response is attached.



UK Government response to the European Commission 
(PDF Document, 177.24 KB)

Department for Work and Pensions

Gender Recognition

Baroness Barker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice the Department for Work and Pensions gives to trans individuals about how their confidentiality is maintained by that department on its database.

Lord Freud: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) provides its staff with information about providing services for transgender customers but does not provide information relating to data confidentiality specifically for transgender customers. DWP has a Personal Information Charter which informs all customers of the standards they can expect when we handle their personal information. The DWP Special Customer Records (SCR) policy provides additional controls to transgender customers. These additional controls include clerical records being held securely by a senior manager, and access to computer records only being allowed to specific employees for specific business reasons and automatic notification of any unauthorised attempt to access records.

Social Security Benefits

Baroness Manzoor: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each of the last three years, how many times official errors have resulted in (1) underpayment, or (2) non-payment, of (a) Jobseekers' Allowance, (b) Employment and Support Allowance, (c) Universal Credit, (d) Housing Benefit, and (e) Income Support, in each local authority in the UK.

Baroness Manzoor: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each of the last three years, how many households containing children had an underpayment or non-payment of benefit as a result of official error.

Lord Freud: DWP is unable to provide a breakdown of the number of official errors at the Local Authority level. This is because the estimation of the rate and monetary value of official errors in a particular benefit is based on a sample of cases rather than the entire caseload for that benefit, and this sample is not large enough to split at the Local Authority level. DWP does not gather information on the number of children in a household when evaluating the rate of fraud and error in any particular benefit.

British Home Stores: Pensions

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Pensions Regulator will appoint an investment bank and retail consultancy to support its investigation into the events preceding BHS going into administration.

Baroness Altmann: Parliament gave the Pensions Regulator independence in how it operates. It is for the Regulator to determine how it wishes to undertake any investigation into matters relating to the BHS pension scheme.

British Home Stores: Pensions

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will review decisions taken by the Pensions Regulator in connection with the BHS pension schemes.

Baroness Altmann: In accordance with Parliament’s wishes, the Regulator has operational independence. Whilst performance against its key targets is regularly reviewed by the Department, this does not encompass its regulatory decision-making or the conduct of its investigations. It would be entirely inappropriate and improper for Ministers to comment on or intervene in these areas.

British Home Stores: Pensions

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will order an inquiry into actions taken by the trustees of the BHS pension schemes in agreeing revisions to funding rates and supporting the sale of the employer.

Baroness Altmann: The Pensions Regulator regulates work-based pension schemes, including trust-based schemes. In accordance with Parliament’s wishes, it has operational independence so it would be entirely inappropriate for Ministers to intervene in its decisions or on-going investigations.

Home Office

Internet: Bullying

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the police and technology firms are taking adequate steps to tackle online abuse.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Home Office has introduced a mandatory ‘online flag’ as part of the police recorded crime data collection. This allows police forces to record instances of crimes such as online abuse. The Office for National Statistics has also introduced new fraud and cyber questions to Crime Survey for England and Wales. These new questions mean that we should be able to identify those crimes that had an online component and hence be able to provide estimates of cyber crime. This data will be published in due course. Taken together, this data will support a more robust assessment of whether the police are taking adequate steps to tackle online abuse. The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Command is central to protecting children online and works closely with police forces to identify and safeguard victims and pursue those involved in this criminal activity.The Child Abuse Image Database (CAID) became operational in December 2014 and all police forces, and the NCA, are now connected to it. The Internet Watch Foundation shared almost 19,000 digital fingerprints of child sexual abuse material with five major global technology firms to enable their removal and prevent the sharing of thousands of images from their platforms and services.This engagement with technology firms is essential, and the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) brings together industry, law enforcement, academia, charities, parenting groups, and government departments (Home Office, Department for Culture, Media & Sport, and Department for Education), to work in partnership to help to keep children and young people safe online. As part of this work, the UK’s Communications regulator, Ofcom, led a working group including Twitter, Facebook, Google, Ask.FM, MindCandy and Microsoft to develop best practice guidance for emerging social media platforms to encourage responsible practice from industry, and ensure children using their services are able to do so in a safe and protected way. This guidance was published in December 2015.

Asylum: Appeals

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many failed asylum cases were overturned on appeal (1) for each of the last three years, and (2) so far in 2016.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Home Office publishes figures on asylum appeals determinations in the quarterly Immigration Statistics release.The following table shows the annual number of asylum appeals that were allowed, from 2013 to 2015. Statistics for January to March 2016 are scheduled to be published on 26 May 2016.Asylum appeals allowed, 2013 to 2015YearAppeals Allowed20132,07820141,75820153,234Source: Table as_14, volume 4 of Asylum data tables, Immigration Statistics October to December 2015, Home OfficeA copy of the latest release, Immigration Statistics October to December 2015, is available from https: //www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2015.

Road Traffic Offences: South East

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people have been charged with (1) driving whilst using a mobile phone, (2) speeding, (3) drink driving, and (4) dangerous driving, in each of the past five years in (a) Essex, (b) Kent, (c) Sussex, and (d) London.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Home Office does not hold information on the number of people charged for driving whilst using a mobile phone; for speeding; and for drink driving. We approached the Ministry of Justice and the Crown Prosecution Service for information but neither holds these data.The Home Office does hold data on the number of dangerous driving offences recorded by the police that resulted in a person being charged and these have been provided in the accompanying table.Table: Number of dangerous driving offences recorded by the police resulting in a charge/summons, by year in which the charge was given, selected forces   Police Force Area 2011/122012/132013/142014/15Year to Dec 20151   EssexDangerous driving24566683958 Death caused by dangerous driving312992118 Total5775776076KentDangerous driving2030291517 Death caused by dangerous driving811232625 Total2841524142London4Dangerous driving273431317298310 Death caused by dangerous driving4154393665 Total314485356334375SussexDangerous driving8048665766 Death caused by dangerous driving1411112017 Total9459777783  Source: Police recorded crime, Home Office Data for the 2015/16 financial year is yet to be published and thus the latest available rolling year has been provided instead. Recorded under offence category 802 (Dangerous driving) as per the counting rules for recorded crime. For further detail on the counting rules, see here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/counting-rules-for-recorded-crime  3. This is an amalgamation of the following offences in the counting rules: 4.4: Causing death by dangerous driving 4.6: Causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs 4.8: Causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving 4.9: Causing death by driving: unlicensed or disqualified or uninsured drivers  4. London includes data from City of London, and The Metropolitan Police Service.

HM Treasury

Thames Water: Taxation

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of their current initiatives on the use of tax havens and issues about the use of off-shore companies, what assessment they have made of the use by Thames Water of a Cayman Islands company to raise over £5 billion of debt, and of Thames Water being owned and controlled from Luxembourg.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not disclose details of its work on the affairs of particular taxpayers.

Small Businesses: Taxation

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the claim by the FSB and Administrative Burdens Advisory Board that the proposed HM Revenue and Customs plans for quarterly tax returns would create a significant administrative and financial burden for small businesses.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has consulted informally to understand how the Making Tax Digital changes will affect businesses. This initial assessment shows a reduction in on-going administrative burdens over the longer-term, contributing to HMRC’s overall target to reduce tax administration by £400m by 2020.HMRC will publish its initial assessment as part of the formal consultation process, working with stakeholders throughout 2016 to develop understanding, ensuring the final design is focused on reducing burdens.As with any other tax measure, a detailed assessment of the impact on administrative burdens will be published alongside draft legislation, expected to be in December 2016.

World Economy

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of comments by the head of the IMF regarding threats to the global economy, whether they are preparing any contingency plans.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: Since 2010 the UK has made significant progress in developing its economic security. The public finances have improved and the deficit as a share of GDP has now been cut by almost two-thirds from its post-war peak. The financial sector is more resilient, and household finances are more robust with interest payments as a proportion of income the lowest level on record in 2015. However, the UK is not immune from global risks, which is why, as I set out in the debate on the Economy last week, it is vital we continue with our long-term economic plan focused on ensuring sound public finances, while delivering the supply-side reforms necessary to boost productivity and deliver long-term sustainable growth.

UK Membership of EU

Lord Watson of Richmond: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how seriously they view the warnings from the IMF and the Bank of England of the detrimental impact on both the UK and the global economy if the UK withdraws from the EU.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: On 13 April 2016, HM Treasury published its analysis of the long-term economic impact of EU membership and the alternatives. It concluded that the UK would be permanently poorer if it left the EU. The document also notes that a UK exit from the EU would be likely to have a significant negative effect on the economy in the short term. A subsequent government document will examine in detail the short-term economic implications associated with leaving the EU.

Overseas Loans: Republic of Ireland

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much the Republic of Ireland owes the UK as a result of loans made during the recent financial crisis, and what are the arrangements for repayment of those monies.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: I refer the noble Lord to the most recent statutory report which the Treasury provided to Parliament as required by Section 2 of the Loans to Ireland Act 2010. The last report was laid in Parliament on 26 April 2016 and is available in the Printed Paper Office.

Cabinet Office

Departmental Records

Baroness Featherstone: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there exists a 10-year rule under which departmental papers and records may be destroyed, and if so, where that rule is set out.

Lord Bridges of Headley: There is no ten year rule for the destruction of records created by ministers. Departments work to the guidance published by The National Archives on the appraisal and selection of official records which are retained and transferred for permanent preservation.

Department of Health

Ophthalmology: Waiting Lists

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of how many patients have lost their vision as a result of not receiving timely follow-up appointments to see an ophthalmic specialist.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to develop a national strategy for eye care.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the comments by the President of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists that hundreds of patients are going blind because hospitals cannot meet the demand for appointments.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Given the size of England, and the diversity of the health needs of different communities, we believe commissioning needs to be owned and managed locally.Therefore, there are no plans to develop a national strategy for eye care. Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning hospital eye services and for holding their providers to account in terms of contract performance. CCGs are also able to commission eye care services from community optometrists where they judge them to be needed in their areas over and above the sight tests commissioned by NHS England. Such services could include post cataract surgery reviews, glaucoma monitoring and low vision services which may reduce pressure on hospital eye departments, reduce waiting times and make patient care pathways more accessible in the community. There is scope for further work to be done by community optometrists and the Clinical Council for eye health commissioning is working with commissioners to develop commissioning guidelines in this area. CCGs have the ability to develop alternatives to hospital care. We would expect patients who require further planned stages of treatment in line with their agreed care plan, to receive this treatment without undue delay and in line with when it is clinically appropriate.

Obesity: Children

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will ensure that physical activity is an integral part of tackling obesity in the forthcoming childhood obesity strategy, in the light of the correlation between inactivity and childhood obesity.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Our Childhood Obesity Strategy, which will be launched in the summer, will look at everything that contributes to a child becoming overweight and obese including inactivity.

Neurology

Baroness Gale: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 4 April (HL7369), when the policy team is expected to report back on key aspects of the work on neurology and how those aspects can be taken forward through alternative mechanisms and partners; and whether or not that report will be published.

Lord Prior of Brampton: As previously set out, NHS England has been reviewing its National Clinical Director (NCD) resource. This review has been designed to focus clinical advisory resources on areas where major programmes of work are currently being taking forward, or areas identified as priorities for improvement.Whilst there will no longer be a specific NCD role for neurology, NHS England will continue to secure expert clinical advice through clinical leads and members of the NHS England-funded neurology clinical networks, the Neurology Clinical Reference Group and Royal Colleges.More information on these arrangements will be available in June 2016. There is no specific report being published.

Health Services: Greater Manchester

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the fair-share Transformation Fund for Greater Manchester was calculated.

Lord Prior of Brampton: NHS England has allocated £450 million to Greater Manchester, representing their fair share of available transformation budgets over the five year period. The Greater Manchester share is calculated by applying Greater Manchester's total target Clinical Commissioning Group allocation as a percentage of the national amount to the relevant national policy and transformation funding. The Transformation Fund is being deployed in accordance with the priorities set out in the Greater Manchester Strategic Plan. A copy of the Plan is attached.  



GM Strategic Plan
(PDF Document, 2.31 MB)

Strokes: Health Education

Baroness Wheeler: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what funding was allocated by the Department of Health to the Act FAST campaign in 2014–15 and 2015–16.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Public Health England took over all the public health campaigns formerly run by the Department of Health on 1 April 2013 including Act FAST. The funding allocated to the Act FAST marketing campaign is as follows: Table: Act FAST campaign fundingFinancial YearMedia Spend2014-15£850,0002015-16£940,000 Marketing spend is defined for this purpose as advertising spend covering only the media costs (inclusive of agency commission).These figures do not include recruitment/classified advertising costs and ad hoc spend under £10,000. All figures rounded to the nearest £10,000.

Strokes

Baroness Wheeler: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of lives saved as a result of measures in the National Stroke Strategy.

Lord Prior of Brampton: No such assessment has been made.

Drugs: Innovation

Lord Freyberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 17 March (HL7132), whether they expect any new database of innovative medicines to be constructed outside the normal information governance channels.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Access to Medical Treatments (Innovation) Act 2016 will create a database of innovative treatments, when the Secretary of State directs the Health and Social Care Information Centre to establish such a database. The Centre will implement the database in accordance with the common law duty of confidence, data protection law and the information governance rules to which the Centre is subject.

Patients: Transport

Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what systems are in place to monitor main service providers' management of patient transport.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what, if any, variables are used to determine whether main service providers of patient transport are delivering satisfactory services.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are guidelines in place outlining steps to be taken if main service providers of patient transport fail to deliver satisfactory services.

Lord Prior of Brampton: It is the responsibility for individual clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to commission and performance manage patient transport services, in line with the national guidance Eligibility for Patient Transport Services. This guidance is attached. CCGs will manage performance of patient transport providers through regular monitoring performance against Key Performance Indicators and have a range of interventions to improve performance, which are available through the NHS Standard Contract. NHS England ultimately maintains oversight of CCG commissioning, and holds CCGs to account for their commissioning decisions. In addition, NHS Improvement has a role in ensuring that procurement, patient choice and competition operate in the best interests of patients, and to step in if anti-competitive behaviour by National Health Service commissioners or providers goes against patients’ interests.  



Patient Transport Service Eligibility Criteria 
(PDF Document, 235.85 KB)

Clinical Commissioning Groups: West Midlands

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they will take to ensure that Clinical Commissioning Groups in the West Midlands abide by the guidance issued by the Royal College of Surgeons and accredited by NICE in their consultation on "procedures of low clinical value".

Lord Prior of Brampton: It is for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to determine how to use the resources available to meet the needs of their patients, taking account of national clinical guidance. NHS England advises that CCGs across the West Midlands are jointly developing a policy on procedures of low clinical value. The CCGs have stated their decisions will consider all relevant national standards and take into account all proper and authoritative guidance. NHS England is ensuring an equality impact assessment will be undertaken and will be notified when this is completed.